Tonight at My Gym the boys played a game together where each tried to knock the other off while balancing on a rounded pad. It’s actually a lot like their normal playtime at home, where they try to knock each other off the couch, coffee table, bed, stairs, etc.

This time, it looks like Adam got the best of his brother (but Alex says, “just want until we get home!”)

Yesterday, Adam lost his first tooth with a little assistance from his brother who popped him in the mouth! The lower central incisor had been loose for a couple of weeks and we could see his adult tooth coming in behind it, so the mechanism of loss wasn’t THAT big of a deal.

Anyway, I put the tooth in a little baggie and told Adam to put it under his pillow when he went to sleep and the Tooth Fairy would take it and leave him some money. So, at bedtime, we placed the baggie under his pillow and he drifted-off to dreamland. Just before the “Tooth Fairy” went to bed, he pulled the ol’ “Indiana Jones” switcheroo, leaving behind a dollar bill in a baggie. All was right with the world until about 4:00 a.m. when Adam came into mommy and daddy’s bedroom with tears in his eyes. He was all upset because evidently, the Tooth Fairy took his tooth and left nothing in return!

Mommy comforted Adam and let him climb into bed with her (daddy missed this exchange because he was asleep). In the morning, Mommy took Adam to his bedroom and they found the a dollar in a baggie that had fallen behind his headboard. The Tooth Fairy had come through after all!

Although relieved that he hadn’t been shafted, Adam was still disappointed, as he “was going to need a lot more to buy some toys.”

Adam and Alex have been learning about construction at school and for a homework project had to build a structure out of materials found around the house.

I asked Adam what he wanted to build and he said, “Daddy’s Work.” So, with a piece of cardboard, a cereal box, a little glue, a marker, and some construction paper, “Adam-the-Builder” constructed daddy’s office building, with only minimal help from dad.

Alex, on the other hand, wanted to build “my house”, so with a milk carton, construction paper, the same markers, a toilet paper roll, and a couple of popsicle sticks, “Construction Alex” and his mommy built his house.

On Friday night, the boys had their first experience with plastic model airplanes. Well, not exactly “airplanes”, rather X-Wing Fighters, and Luke’s X-Wing Fighter to be exact. Because, evidently, it makes a difference whose ship it is, as Adam wanted to know if this was “Luke’s” ship, or “Wedge’s”, or “Red Leader’s”. So, for the record, it’s Luke’s X-Wing (it even says it on the box).

Anyway, I did most of the building, while the boys just got in the way 😉 In the end, though, we had a lot of fun. Until Alex lost the little R2D2 out of his fighter and tried to take Adam’s. ( sigh )

Cindy had to clean-out the Rat Guinea Pig cage today, which she did solo because, of course, that teaches the boys about responsibility and stuff. So, the rodents-we-actually-keep-as-pets got to move to an EVEN BIGGER cage that the boys could fit into as well.

“Leonard” and “Sheldon” just LOVE playing games with the twins! Their favorite game? “WHACK-A-MOLE”!!

No, not the Bill Murray movie! Rather, “Pop,” the boys grandpa, taught the boys how to make the meatballs that we snacked on New Year’s Eve. Of course, he wouldn’t share the recipe for the secret sauce that makes these tiny morsels so mouthwatering good.

5-year-olds are a great source of free labor for stuff like this because they still think it’s FUN!

“an optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.”

I can certainly appreciate that, but I’m more of a realist, so to me, today is simply, “Wednesday.” I enjoy hearing about folks that resolve in December to do things like “exercise more,” yet they put-off starting until after the first of the year. Why not just start exercising on the day you resolve to do it?

Anyway, I do understand the “fresh start” feeling that comes with the beginning of a new year, and certainly don’t mean to take away from anyone’s efforts to improve him or herself. So to those optimistic people looking for better things in 2014, I’d like to say, Happy New Year! To everyone else, I wish you a Happy Wednesday! 🙂